Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – Driving Tanks at The Ox Ranch in Uvalde

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UVALDE, Texas – On the northwest corner of Uvalde County, you’ll find 18,000 acres of serene Texas scenery at The Ox Ranch.  This sprawling Lone Star State spread is home to an exotic game ranch and happens to have some fascinating full time residents that’ll be happy to take any carrots you might have off your hands.

The biggest surprise here is housed in a metal building with some historic heavy equipment.

Dedicated to the greatest generation that ever lived, Drive Tanks.com offers a very unique experience that is well worth a stop on any bucket list.

“Well that’s what’s really unique,” Spencer said. “We reserve that right for our clients. They actually get to drive and shoot these tanks.”

Todd DeGidio came up with this explosive idea of allowing people to drive, operate, and even shoot some of the most iconic military weapons, and yes, that includes tanks.

“People want to see history,” Todd said. “They want to see and feel and live the past. You know, see what happened in the past. I don’t think that you can put a label on it, and that’s the good thing about our operation.”

Todd served as a green beret back in the 80’s and his team of veterans helps run this operation with some serious firepower. This fire power includes a Russian T34 tank, a German Half Tracks, a Sherman E8 tank, anti-tank guns, machine guns, mortars, and flame throwers.

“We have people constantly just sitting here and I’m like you know you can touch ‘em,” Spencer said. “It’s kind of different. Usually you’re in a museum, and you’re like, ‘If I cross the red tape, will they kick me out?’ No here we want you to actually grab it, lift it off the wall, feel it, feel what it feels like, and imagine yourself shooting it.”

As you drive through the tank coarse, the thrill of commanding 31 tons of American made military might is immeasurable.

“We have military people come and say, ‘Yeah this was on my bucket list because I never could do that in the military,’” Todd said. “So, it’s a very small percentage that even get to do that in the military.”

Dodging explosions and turret gunners takes this experience to the next level. You can’t help but think of the young men who didn’t do this for fun but to protect our freedom.

“When you sit in one of these things and hear the engine running, and realize there was somebody that was in here defending our country overseas and this was their only means of survival and this was how they had to survive and live and fight; it brings a whole new level of meaning to what these pieces of equipment are,” Todd said.

There’s no doubt our Armed Forces are the greatest in the world and we appreciate their incredible service and sacrifice to our country. This experience adds to that appreciation.

“To be able to have them here and bring them to life just as they were in 1945, there’s nothing like it,” Spencer said.

The Texas Bucket List – Little Graceland in Los Fresnos

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LOS FRESNOS, Texas – It’s hard to beat south Texas during the not so wintery days of January. The warmer weather brings in people from all over the country for sun, sand, and some serious sideburns. This week we start things off down in the Valley at a celebration fit for a king – well, the king of rock & roll, that is. You see, a personal friend of Presley’s puts on this Presley-sized party every few years, and it leaves people saying thank you, thank you very much.

Every January, close to the King of rock and roll’s birthday, people flock to Los Fresnos for a celebration at Little Graceland.

Just why is the tiny tribute to Elvis sitting here in South Texas? Well it’s all because of this man, Simon Vega.

“I was nine months younger than Elvis,” Vega said. “I was born in a two-room house, a two-room shed just like Elvis.”

He too was born in 1935, just a few miles from his little manor dedicated to the musical act of the millennia. But what was Simon’s special connection to the King?  He actually got to hang with one of the most influential singers of all time.

“I took my basic training at Fort Hood and was there for six weeks at the same time Elvis got there,” said Vega.

Simon was drafted into the Army in 1958 and while waiting for chow, Mr. Vega approached Presley.

“So when I patted him on the back, he turned around and said, ‘Hi, Vega You know me…?” And I said, ‘Hi, Elvis. Hey Elvis, what can I do for you? I want to be your friend.’ We shook hands. He said, ‘Okay, let’s be friends.’ And that’s, we were friends for a long time,” Vega said.

The duo was stationed in Germany and Simon was part of the crew that included Joe Esposito, Elvis’s eventual longtime bodyguard.  Simon fondly recalls their time together hanging out in the hot spots of Frieberg.

“You know at the end of the month in the Army. Everybody’s broke. Guys shoot dice and play cards and lose their money and on weekends he would say, ‘Hey guys, come with me.’ He would pick up some snacks at the bar and he would feed us hamburgers and stuff, and he’d pay for it,” said Vega.

Perhaps another interesting side to Elvis Simon witnessed was writing habits – not devoted to lyrics, but to letters.

“His company had two mail clerks,” Vega said. “Every day he would bring a big sack full of letters and throw them to the guys. Our company had two mail clerks. One for us, and one for Elvis.”

Elvis was a good friend to have and when their time together in the service came to an end, Elvis had a proposal for Simon, the same proposal that the King made to Joe Esposito.

“Told Elvis I had to go back to my wife and family, and he pointed at me, and he said, ‘Look Vega, go back to Texas, and if you can’t find a job right away, come to Graceland and I’ll put you on the payroll,” said Vega.

That was the last time Simon got to talk with Elvis, but Pressley made such an impression on Simon that he started his collection to the King and built Little Graceland.

“Many people haven’t been to Graceland because it’s too far or something. They come here, they get a pre-Graceland, you know, and they become friends and they become friends and all that, and they help keep Elvis’s name going,” Vega said.

Once a year, the big bash brings in the Elvis faithful and now a former schoolteacher is the one people want their pictures with. Danny Lee is Corpus Christi native who happens to be an Elvis impersonator.

“I wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for Elvis,” said Lee.

Being a native son of south Texas, Danny is a big draw at the Little Graceland Elvis Festival and he understands Simon’s connection to the King.

“You know, he also wrote a song about Elvis. Have you heard that? It was called ‘Hail to Elvis Presley,’ and that just goes to show you how much of an influence Elvis had over everybody in the United States and rock and roll,” Lee said.

So Simon keeps the King’s memory alive in South Texas with his royal tribute full of memorabilia, pictures, and every Elvis album ever made.

“Hope it never dies, because he was a, I don’t think there’s going to be another Elvis. Never,” said Vega.

The Texas Bucket List – Old Rip in Eastland

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EASTLAND, Texas – The center of Eastland Texas, which happens to be the center of Eastland County, happened to be the center of the entire country nearly 100 years ago.

It seems the story of a lizard, commonly referred to as a toad, stole the Lone Star State spotlight back in 1928 when the cornerstone of the old Eastland courthouse was removed.  Rumor had it that when the courthouse was built in 1897, people remembered a horned toad being put in the void and sealed so curious onlookers would come out in droves.  At least, that’s what Cecil Funderbergh, a lifelong resident of Eastland, told us.

“A crowd of about 3,000 people gathered together for the opening of the cornerstone because there were rumors that the horned toad could live for a hundred years, you know, could hibernate for 100 years and everybody wanted to see if it was true,” Fundergergh said. “So after 31 years they opened the cornerstone and an oil man by the name of Eugene Day reached into the cornerstone and pulled out a flat, dusty horned toad, handed it to the Methodist preacher who then handed it to the county judge, Judge Pritchard. He held it up by the hind leg for everybody to see and all of a sudden the other hind leg started twitching. Then he took a deep breath and he puffed up like the horned toad will sometimes puff up pretty good, and the crowd just went crazy, you know.”

The lethargic lizard was nicknamed Old Rip in honor of another sleepy story Rip Van Wrinkle, and wouldn’t you know, Old Rip became an overnight sensation.

“They say that he got more press coverage than anyone other than Charles Lindberg, when Lindberg few the Atlantic, you know,” said Funderbergh. “Old Rip was the big story around the nation.”

He even got a face-to-face meeting with President Calvin Coolidge.

“Calvin Coolidge, his nickname was ‘Silent Cal.’ You know, he didn’t talk very much, and they say that Old Rip stared him down,” Funderbergh said. “So you know, he made the president speak first.”

It’s even been said the story of ol’ Michigan J. Frog got its start thanks to Old Rip.

“You know, Eastland’s name was in the paper all over the country and it’s just a source of pride,” said Funderbergh.

Unfortunately Old Rip’s time in outside world was short-lived and Old Rip took an eternal nap 11 months after being freed from his Texas tomb.  But today you can see ole’ Rip sitting prominently in the window of the Eastland County Courthouse. County Judge Rex Fields got us a personal visit with the frozen stiff toad.

“Well, Old Rip is a landmark for Eastland, Eastland County,” said Judge Fields. “This is a claim to fame here, that we could have a reptile that could live in a cornerstone of the courthouse for 31 years. It’s pretty amazing.”

Of course there are those who don’t jump right in when it comes to the lore of this lizard.  But considering they busted Old Rip out during the winter, those who firmly believe say that’s all the proof you need right there.

“Would be next to impossible for someone to get a horned toad, a live horned toad, in February and say hey, this is the one that was in the cornerstone,” Funderbergh said. “So, I think the evidence points to it being a true story. Of course, around here we swear to it.”

So what used to be a common critter in Eastland county is now an oddity, an oddity that swells the pride in the people in this part of our state.  And you too can see the lizard with lineage and pay your respects to Old Rip.

“It’s part of our history, you know,” said Funderbergh. “I think everybody needs to know about horned toads since they’re nearly extinct. They need to know about them.”

The Texas Bucket List – Dutch Windmill Museum in Nederland

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NEDERLAND, Texas – Down in the Golden Triangle of southeast Texas, you’ll find Nederland.

Just like any town in Texas, this small Dutch community is proud of their heritage.  That’s why you’ll find a giant windmill proudly pushing again the winds of the gulf coast.

Carol Culp is the curator of the crazy looking Nederland Texas Windmill Museum that was built back in 1969.

“It’s 40 feet tall,” said Culp. “It’s in recognition of the Hollanders who established the town.”

In 1897, Nederland was settled by a group Dutch settlers who felt the low-lying lands of southeast Texas reminded them of their home in the Netherland, so they named their town after their European country.

The museum pays tribute to the 51 original settlers who came to the Lone Star State for a new life, but once they got a taste of the tropical heat of Texas, some weren’t so Amsterdam thrilled to be there.  The Dutch that were determined and had what it took to be Texans, built rice farms and dairies.

Glen Koelemay is kin to some of the original settlers.

“When they got here they found a little bit different climate,” Koelemay said.

Koelemay’s family operated the Orange Hotel for a time, sort of a staging area for Dutch families new to the area. The hotel had a library full of Dutch books, dancing, a lot of polka.

“The family would gather on Friday night and they’d have card games and play pinochle, and I loved to hear their Dutch brogue as they spoke,” said Koelemay.

Glen fondly remembers his boyhood, helping his father run the family dairy.

“I did help put caps on the bottles, and we had a special hand-held machine that had all the bottle caps stacked in it and you’d place it on the bottle and dispense the cap,” Koelemay said. “When I think about it, I thought, boy this was modern stuff at one time.”

He remembers his dad slipping on the old school wooden shoes to go out into the field and the reason his father swore by these not-so-flexible shoes. Of course here at the museum, you can try on a pair for yourself and surprisingly their not too bad but I’ll stick with my boots.

“It wasn’t that it, they were so comfortable, it was that you could slip them off easy when you came into the house, and when you were working around the cows and in the fields, they didn’t wear out,” said Koelemay. “Your feet may have wore out, but they didn’t wear out.”

The Dutch windmill museum is more than just a funny looking building with a few native novelties; it’s a repository of the original settlers who were as strong and stubborn as any Texan to make their way of life in a world much different than which they came, even if they happened to have the same name.

“We need to remember our heritage, all of us need to remember our roots, you know, where we came from, our mom, dad, grandma, well, you know who they were,” Culp said. “We have a lot of Europeans that come. They’re very excited about seeing our museum.”

Considering Texans don’t have to fly over the ocean to learn about this curious collection, it’s truly worth whisking in to hear about the Hollanders who made starting a life in Texas the very first item on the 1897 version of The Texas Bucket List.

“They, they came here, they did their best, they didn’t know what they were doing, but they were doing something and it contributed to their welfare,” said Koelemay. “I’m proud of it. Proud of it.”

The Texas Bucket List – The Trophy Barber Shop in Baytown

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BAYTOWN, Texas – For over 100 years, the entrance to the Houston ship channel, at the mouth of the San Jacinto River, has been at the doorstep of Baytown.

Settled as early as 1822, Baytown has rich history in oil and gas production and all the hardworking folks who keep churning out Texas tea need a place to get cleaned up every once a while.  Fortunately, there’s the Trophy Barber Shop.

Chris Roux was born and raised in Baytown and he’s passionate about being the caretaker and owner of this eclectic old school institution that’s been around since Kennedy was president.

“1962 values and traditions to me means that, not only are we going to be excited that you’re walking through our door but, we’re going to be proud to give you great service and bring your family and we’ll take great care of them too,” said Chris.

Chris is passing along the principles established by the barber who started the Trophy Barber Shop back in the day, Jimmy Carpenter.  You see, Jimmy enjoyed taking a little off the top for customers and taking a bit more off the top of his hunting trophies.

“I tell people I have a twelve-foot polar bear in my shop,” Chris said. “It’s very hard to explain.”

Legend has it that Jimmy’s wife was tired of having such massive mounts in her home, so Jimmy took them to work and a Baytown institution was created.  For over 50 years, nothing has changed.

“These are the original chairs, the original pictures, everything’s original in here,” said Chris. “All the animals are original. We don’t add animals, we don’t buy animals, would never do anything like that to disgrace the name of Jimmy Carpenter and the Baytown icon he’s created.”

John Carpenter is as close to this story as the fade on his hair because Jimmy was his great uncle.

“It was a real big thing, especially as a young boy to come in here and see all this,” John said. “That’s what he loved to do. He was just a barber by trade, so that’s how this all came together in a roundabout fashion.”

Known for his flannel blue hunting shirt and sense of humor – I mean who puts a deer in their car?  Jimmy realized that each of his hunts created more business and more business created more hunting.   In total, you’ll find 155 exotics and 100 in-state mounts.  As for the racks –

“There are 755 racks of deer antlers hanging through the middle of the shop,” said Chris. “They actually blocked Texas Avenue when Jimmy had that bear mounted. He drove in a convertible, had the bear in the back of that car while he paraded it down Texas Avenue and people lined up down the street to watch.”

Now that had to be a sight to see.

Johnny Reyes is the most seasoned stylist in the barber shop.  He could hang up his clippers but something keeps bringing him back.

“I’ve been cutting hair for a hundred years,” Johnny said. “I’m retired now, so I come in here because I miss the place, you know. Gotta come in here and see it.”

Daniel Hodges has been cutting hair since he was 15.

“From what I understand, I’m sure almost everybody in the city of Baytown’s probably been in here. If not, a majority of them have,” Daniel said. “Oh I’ve heard lots of crazy stories. Relationship stories are probably the best.”

He too appreciates the history of this place while experiencing the traditional service and talking a bit about life.

“Take a look back from where you’re at and you start to realize, you know what? This is a pretty awesome shop. You know, not every barber shop works like this, or I’ve been blessed to work for one, you know? I enjoy working here,” said Daniel. “[The barber shop] feels that’s the way it should be, and I think the city of Baytown feels the same way.”

You do start to feel life at a slower pace.  Then the aftershave hits. So come in for clean-up, and leave getting to see a barber shop that’s been a way of life for generations of Texans.

“I don’t think traditions and values ever get old,” Chris said. “I don’t think treating people right ever gets old, and as long as people want to get good service, good haircuts, be treated right, I think we’ll be around for a long time.”

The Texas Bucket List – Alien Gravesite in Aurora

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AURORA, Texas – This small community north of Fort Worth may be named for the glimmering light show seen in the sky, but it’s something that fell from the wild blue yonder that’s legendary in this little town.

Dan McEntire is the town’s historic preservation officer, an interesting title for a place that’s only got about 1200 people – but it used to be much bigger.

“Aurora has a considerable amount of history,” said McEntire. “At one time, it was targeted to be the county seat of Wise County. Used to have a population, as I understand, of over 5000 here, and there were some problems. They had an epidemic that went through and kind of wiped a lot of the population out. They also, the railroad bypassed the town. There was a pamphlet out called, ‘The Town that Almost Was.’”

During the continuous downtrodden times of the late 1800’s, something out of this world is said to have happened here.

“Well, there’s a rumor about the spaceship that hit one of the windmills,” McEntire said.

File this one under strange and unusual, because this story is just getting started.

“As I understand it, the spaceship hits Judge Proctor’s windmill out there and crashes,” said McEntire. “They took the alien’s body and they buried him at the cemetery and gave him a Christian burial. Several of the people in the area, they went out and looked at the crash scene. They went back, they kept their children away from it. I understand they threw parts of the spacecraft down in a well. Other people just took, you know, carried off what they could of it, you know, which the people would do, I suspect, back in those days particularly.”

The alleged crash even made the Dallas Morning News on April 19th 1897.  Submitted to the paper by Aurora resident S.E. Haydon, a local cotton buyer, the alien news wasn’t front page by any means, but it did make page 5.  While skepticism was high back in the day, some still believe that something happened here.  All you have to do is go to the cemetery where the alien is said to have been buried.

A large stone serves as the marker to the foreign body that has apparently been moved to keep curious kleptos from digging up whatever could be resting in the Aurora cemetery.

“The sad part about it is, you know, a lot of people don’t have a lot of respect for the cemeteries and things and they just come out here, and there’s a lot of destruction that’s going on, so they kind of just kind of moved him off, buried him somewhere,” McEntire said. “The people, this is my understanding that he was moved and buried elsewhere so that people couldn’t go out and dig him up. And that would make sense, because the people that did that are all dead. I don’t know if they passed it on to anyone else – I’m not aware of anybody that knows the actual burial site, but you know, again, going back to that good ole’ Texas law, you have to get permission of the next of kin to dig them up anyway.”

That is, unless you’re the people redigging him somewhere to keep his body safe. Despite being a far-out story with no real physical proof, people still stop by to pay their respects to Ned, the resident out-of-this-world alien corpse that may or may not be buried here.

Ricky Lee, wife Kristi, and family happened to be paying their respects to a lost loved from this Earth when they decided to see what the cosmic commotion was all about.

“It’s just part of our background to come up here and when we have a funeral, a family funeral, we come and pay our respects to the alien also,” said Kristi Lee.

So the story of the alien ship that crashed in the windmill of one Judge Proctor lives on, perhaps for light years.  But it does bring a smile, some when they need it most, and keeps that tingling question of our existence hovering in our heads.

“I am a strong believer in, the dear Lord is powerful enough that if He wanted to create another universe and other people, He could have done it and He didn’t have to tell us about it,” McEntire said. “And that’s what I believe strongly.”

The Texas Bucket List – Dave’s Pawn Shop in El Paso

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EL PASO, Texas – In the bustle streets of the border city El Paso, you’ll find a plethora of places to shop just a few blocks from the bridge to Juarez.  Most of these shops have your typical everyday needs and tourist trinkets, except for one pawn shop with a peculiar cluster of crazy items.

That’s where we met David Delgadillo. He’s been managing this quirky collection of off-the-wall items for 13 years.

While you’ll find your typical pawn shop essentials – gold, guitars, and gear works – you’ll find a few things that might give you goose bumps.

Originally opened in 1950 as a military surplus store, Dave’s dove into pawning in 1953 and began purchasing peculiar and funky items in the 60’s.

One such item was their Fiji mermaid, part fish, person, and bird.

“Imagine to find something like this when you are in the lake,” said David.

Just like anything in a pawn shop, you can purchase the Fiji mermaid or any of the other oddities orbiting the shop, such as their resident mummy. It can be yours for only $14,995.

“Well, somebody walked by and said, ‘Hey, I have a mummy.’ I said, is it your mother? Your grandmother? He said, ‘No, no, I’m serious, It’s a mummy.’ I said, let’s take a look,” David said. “He brought it to us and it’s right here. The only one here in El Paso and the whole Texas, I think.”

One thing after another sparked our curiosity and interest in the eclectic store – and then David pulled a finger out of the window, that keeps pointing customers their way.

“This is the thing we have, for everybody asking. And they come in all the time to ask you for the finger,” said David. “Well, Pancho Villa’s trigger finger. I say, the finger it’s something else.”

Pancho Villa is the symbol of Mexico’s revolution 100 years ago.  He was a bandit, general, and hero to many in Mexico.  His lore apparently landed his finger in a box, in a pawn shop, in El Paso. It can be yours for the low, low price of $9500. We asked David if he’d gotten any offers on the dubious digit.

“No. Not yet, not yet,” David said. “Can I wrap it for you?”

We’re good, David.

Browsing is always free at Dave’s Pawn shop, so the next time you need a spooky, kooky stop on The Texas Bucket List, just poke on over to El Paso – but be sure to keep your hands where you can them.

“I think they have to come into the store, this store, because it’s part of the El Paso, Texas,” said David. “We can find everything here, different stuff, unique, and it’s amazing. An amazing store.”

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – Hemi Hideout in Brookshire

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BROOKSHIRE, Texas – Just west of Houston, in the small community of Brookshire, you’ll find a long tree-lined drive leading to a Texas-sized barn looking building. As soon you pull up to this place, it comes to light that this building is a radiant, retro, repository. Known as the Hemi Hideout, what started as a place to park some cars has turned into so much more.

John Hovas is the reason the Hemi Hideout is here and it all started when his father bought him a car – but not just any car.

“In 1970, my dad bought me a Dodge Super Bee. It was like the yellow one back here in the background, and this is why this is a Dodge and Plymouth venue,” said Hovas. “I’m trying to hang on to the past and reminisce the old days.”

Hovas’s time with his Super Bee flew by.

“I had that car for probably 2 or 3 years, and then got married, had children, and that car had to go,” Hovas said. “Everybody wishes they had the cars that they had originally, but who has the money or the wherewithal to do that? So I had to straighten up and walk a tight line at an early age.”

After a career of successful entrepreneurial ventures, Hovas wanted to relive his glory days, so he got his old car back plus a few more and built a small man cave in Waller country.

Construction took over two years and now Hovas is the proud owner of the biggest timber-framed building in Texas.  But it’s not just home to his car collection, it’s also home to a large collection of rare, colorful, and crazy signs.

“So, there’s probably 1200 signs in here right now, and it can easily hold three times as many,” said Hovas. “The more you put, the cooler it looks. The more cluttered, so to speak, the more intriguing, and you think you miss something and you want to go back over it again, and we hear that comment all the time here.”

With over 21,000 square feet of space in this cathedral to neon and Americana, you’ll find some of the most unique and rare signs in all of the United States. But for Hovas, it’s more than just flashy flares and radiant rays, it’s the story that these old advertisements tell.

“Men, women, old, young, everybody seems to love it because of all the beauty and the bling going on. But, when you start talking about the history behind it, it really grabs everybody’s attention,” Hovas said.

Having such a unique and luminous location brings in all sorts of life events – some of which you might not expect.

“We’ve had several weddings, we’ve had funerals in here too. I mean, I didn’t never dream in a million years, but car guys, it makes for a great, soft, nice touch if you’re a car guy,” said Hovas. “A farewell party in here, and they’re both fantastic.”

Despite having light bill from $2500 to $4500 that’s higher than a house payment, Hovas doesn’t charge people to gaze at the glare in his garage.  But if you do feel like you need to contribute to the cause, you’ll be doing more than just lighting the lights.

“We ask for a five dollar donation, and we match it dollar for dollar and all the funds go to local charities here, and we’ve done some remarkable things in Brookshire and Sealy area that we’re proud of,” Hovas said. “So if you don’t want to donate, you don’t have to.”

And if you take a fancy to some flashing neon lights, you’re allowed to bring them home – for a price. But for Hovas, this building is more than just trip down memory lane. It’s a culmination of everything he’s ever worked hard for, it’s a chance to bring joy and light up the eyes and hearts of the generations who got to see these signs in their glory years or to those who may have never seen the light.

“This will be the ride of my life, no doubt about that. I’ve done quite a few things that I’m proud of in my life, but this will be the ride of my life, and it’s still going on,” said Hovas.

 

The Texas Bucket List – The People of Earth

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EARTH, Texas – Along the backroads of Lamb County, you’ll find a place we’re farming and ranching still reign supreme.

It’s the way of life in the far outreaches of the Lone Star State, where the nearest cities of substantial size seem like they’re in a far off galaxy.  That is until you land upon Earth.

Jerry Carpenter has spent 47 years of his life on….I mean in Earth and today he’s got the top title in town as mayor.

When we asked to see their leader, this former firefighter and maintenance man answered the call.

“I married a lady from here. That’s what brought me to Earth!” said Carpenter.

But he’s not the only salt of the Earth people we ran into in this town.

Helen Hulcey is a lifelong resident of Earth along with Todd Moore.

“You’d be surprised how fascinated people are by the name ‘Earth.’ You just don’t hear that,” Helen said.

In a town of just over 1,000 people, time can get away from you, which is odd when you’re a visitor, considering how it seems like the one-day Earth stood still.  Even if it’s not listed on the marque of town’s abandoned theater.

Established in 1924 by Rancher William Halsell, all this space used to be part of the XIT Ranch.  It’s been said that Tulsa and Fairlawn were first considered for the name of the town but for some reason or another Earth came light and the reason why is still something no one is real sure about. But if you want a hot cup of coffee and good conversation, The Wolverine is about the only place to go.

That’s where we ran into Todd and Helen.  A pair of Earthlings that have known each other for literally a lifetime.

“Both good and bad. They’re always knowing what you’re getting into,” said Todd.

“You can’t get by with it, too,” added Helen.

“There was a lot of it you didn’t know about,” Todd replied.

Helen has seen her share of days in Earth.

“I am glad that I stood firm and stayed here all my life. And I’m glad I married a man that would allow that,” said Helen.

Despite her commitment and love for this town, her sons didn’t feel the same.

“My son will get on the phone for me, talking about Tennessee, or the one in Oklahoma, we’ll talk about Oklahoma, about how terrible of people. I say, see what I mean? I told you not to leave Earth. And they didn’t listen!” Helen said.

“A lot of these old people, they can’t get out of the windmill,” Todd added.

Todd Moore talks a big game, but he too has never left.  He’s too busy running his restaurant which has been in the family since 1959.  And unlike Helen, Todd has family to lean on – his daughter Heather.

“It’s a unique situation. I get to have my family around. My daughter went off to college, decided she liked the small town, the way she was raised, the way I was raised, so she brought her, she’s raising her daughter in this business now,” said Todd. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Despite being one of the friendliest places on Earth, and the only place on Earth named Earth, this lifestyle and way of life isn’t for everyone.

“One time, we were a thriving community,” said Carpenter. “But it’s just like all the small communities in this part of the state of Texas here, the kids grow up and they move off and they want to go somewhere where they can draw big money like Dallas, Houston, you know, areas like that, and they don’t ever move back home.”

And so Earth continues to spin, slowly.  Striving to survive and keep its Lone Star State way of life alive knowing that one day, just maybe, people will return to Earth.  So don’t waste too much time getting here so you can meet Earthling that are proud of where they come from, their way life, and have a love for each other that only a destination the size of Earth can provide.

“What does it mean to me to know that I’ve lived here in Earth all my life? I wouldn’t change it for a million dollars. I wouldn’t,” said Helen.

The Texas Bucket List – Ruben’s Grocery in McAllen

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MCALLEN, Texas –Going to the grocery store can be a mundane, ordinary experience. It’s part of our everyday lives, checking off lists with riveting purchases like milk, bread, and eggs.

But when it comes to filling your basket in the border town of McAllen, Ruben’s Grocery has a radical assortment of off the wall items. But it’s not just the fun food selection that brings in curious shoppers, it’s also the over-the-top owner.

We meet Ruben, the man himself, and he is just a colorful as his store.

“I enjoy what I do,” said Ruben. “You ready for a glass of wine?”

Before we get to the vino, we learned a bit more about the store that got started back in 1973, when Ruben’s father, Ruben Sr. who opened this local market in the middle of la Navarro neighborhood.

“At the beginning it was just a neighborhood store,” Ruben said. “Necessities, tortillas weren’t around yet. We sold flour and lard and beans. I remember when tortillas were first sold, people looked around, they were like – you’re selling tortillas? Like flour tortillas? Who’s going to buy these? Because, you know, people made their own. Back then, nobody even thought to buy. It was just, I don’t know, unheard of. Kind of like when we started frozen pizza.”

Ready-made tortillas were just the beginning and it wasn’t long after leaving home to pursue a career in the computer business out in Cali before Ruben’s parents called him home.

“The manager quit, and my mom and dad said, ‘You can’t go to California, you’ve got to stay just for two months and help us out, just help us manage the store until we get a new manager.’ That was 22 years ago,” said Ruben. “I never left.”

Still wanting to see the world, Ruben made a deal with his parents but promised to have the best interests of the store on his mind.

“I said I’ll work for you three weeks out of the month, and the last week of the month I get to travel. I get to go somewhere. And every time I went somewhere, I came back with something. And every time I went somewhere I came back with something else, and I’m a foodie and I love collecting things and I love discovering new stuff and I love sharing it with my friends and the local chefs, share with my customers, and little by little we started getting a reputation of bringing weird or unusual foods,” Ruben said.

Now, you’ll never know what you’ll find at this mint green market in McAllen, from fancy Italian cherries to pottery and more.

“This is where most of our imported products are and we start off with Brazil, lot of Brazilian products here,” Ruben said. “Argentina, they’re very specialty cookies, and then we’ve got Peruvian cookies, Peruvian chocolates, we’ve got more Peruvian chilies, Peruvian grains, more Peruvian chili paste, Columbian candies, Columbian drinks, Columbian figs, and then we’ve got eastern European, Middle Eastern, Spanish, a couple of British products, and then up here, this is yerba mate. Yerba mate is the number one tea in South America, and this is yerba mate, and all of the top shelf is yerba mate. And it’s the largest collection of yerba mate in the world outside of Argentina.”

Yes, Ruben has got just about everything edible under the sun in his store. Jesus Manjarrez, a customer at Ruben’s, can speak as to the variety you’ll get when you enter this store.

“They should come and experience it because there’s a lot of things that you don’t even know that are out there, eatable, and so many unique stuff, not just food, but like any items you can cook in or mix in or any type of stuff,” said Manjarrez.

Does Ruben offer online shopping?  Sort of.

“Our inventory changes so often that we don’t have it on books, so when people request the items, what we do is we take a picture of the items, live picture of the aisle, because they’re so seasonal and they’re always changing, and then we just email them the pictures and then they just shop by sight. Yeah, it’s very old-school,” Ruben said.

Of course you’ll still find Ruben’s dad working every day at the store using his old-school pencil and paper to take inventory.

“He’s 78 and so is my mom and they don’t skip a day of work unless they go, unless my mom’s in Vegas because she loves to, or my dad goes fishing or hunting, which is his passion,” said Ruben. “My dad opens the show at 8am every day. The doors don’t open until nine, because, you know, the big act needs an opening act. That’s my dad.”

And now they make their hunt for uncommon eats together, taking escapades to Alaska for their annual snow crab season sale.  Yes, you can by snow crabs flown in straight from Alaska in the Valley.

“I do it mostly for my parents, because this is their passion and now it’s become mine,” Ruben said. “I mean, as a child I took it for granted. But now, you know older, being a foodie, to me it’s the most amazing job in the world because I don’t work a single day. The way I look at it is, I open the doors to my house every day and I see what company’s going to come over and take care of the guests that come over, and at the end of the day I let them out and close the doors and open a bottle of wine and go to sleep and wait for the next day and it’s another party. It is my house, and it’s your house, too.”

Ruben isn’t all about bringing the best to the people; it’s about bringing the best out of people with infectious service and a passion for everything food.

“Not only do we have things from all over the world, but you’re going to be pleasantly surprised that you are surrounded by people that really love what they’re doing,” said Ruben. “Every single employee is going to greet you with a smile, they’re going to be really happy when you’re here. It’s like the Disneyland of grocery stores.”

So if your grocery list is as eccentric as your bucket list, stop by Ruben’s for an amazing display of delightful delicacies.

“We have a philosophy as a family. It’s, we want to be good with the family, we want to be good with our employees, we want to be good with our customers, and we want to be good with God. And that’s it,” Ruben said.